Intentional living/ Christian community

"God is not satisfied with the state of this house [the world], and he calls us to share in his holy dissatisfaction.

In our hearts he wants dissatisfaction and hope to kiss. He wants us, every day that we live, to embrace the gospel promise of a world made new. He wants our lives to be shaped by uncompromising honesty and undiminished hope.

He wants us to face how bad things really are, not as survivalists but as restorers. He wants to pick us up in his hands and use us as the hammers, saws, and screwdrivers of a brand new world. He wants us to believe that because of what he has done there is hope for new beginnings and fresh starts.

...One day his work will be over and the world will be completely renewed. In the meantime, he calls you and me to live in this broken-down house with hearts of patience and eyes of promise. He calls us away from paralyzing discouragement and the nagging desire to quit. He welcomes us to live in the patience and grace that only he can give."

- Paul Tripp, Broken-Down House, p.20-21



I'm going to use the phrase "on a kick" but realize that, as a marathoner (har har), "kick" is more like an ongoing, long-distance thing. Metaphorically, I'm not kicking a corner shot (enter appropriate soccer term?) but kicking an ultra-marathon in the butt. That said - I'm on a kick to be in an intentional living/ Christian community. I have sat at my computer, drooling over certain websites and examples, but recently realized
I can do something about this, after someone asked me "Why don't you do something about this?. (I want to make that the subtitle, but little blogger doesn't allow for subtitles. Or italics in the titles. Enter subtitle in the middle of the entry.)


I agree with Tripp's quote and think that an intentional community would help create an environment of hope and restoration. Hopefully, I can get some Columbus conversation started about this!